38 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



mountainous places of Germany, 'where they call it 

 Wilde Savine." In Reade's "Veil of Isis" is a similar 

 account of the gathering of the Selago, excepting 

 that it was cut with a brazen hook. 



Sir W. J. Hooker has given a summary of the 

 properties and uses of the club moss, and its products, 

 which leaves nothing to be desired. " The whole 

 plant," he says, alluding to Lycopodiinn clavattini, 

 "possesses peculiar qualities," but is most celebrated 

 for the yellowish inflammable and detonating dust, 

 which even resembles gunpowder in the two latter 

 respects, and is afiforded by its capsules in an immense 

 quantity. This substance is largely collected, and 

 applied to different purposes, being known by the 

 vulgar name of Vegetable brimstone, or Lycopode. 

 A pinch of it, when cast upon any burning matter, 

 takes flame instantly, darting forth a blaze which 

 almost immediately disappears, and without leaving 

 any perceptible odour. It is this singular property 

 which has caused the lycopode to be employed on 

 the stage to represent lightning, infernal flames, etc., 

 as well as in the preparation of fireworks. Its 

 consumption is so great as to render it a rather 

 lucrative object of commerce in Switzerland and 

 Germany, where this vegetable powder is principally 

 collected, and where it is often adulterated with the 

 staminal dust of the fir-cones, which, however, possesses 

 none of its qualities. Towards the close of summer, 

 during autumn, and the commencement of winter, 

 the spikes of this Lycopodimn appear, and diffuse the 

 lycopode contained in their capsules (Fig. 5). They 

 are cut off and carried home to be dried in boxes or 



